JCDecaux unveils Abeona
A major new sculpture by Rona Smith graces Paddington’s skyline. Named after the Roman goddess of outbound travel, Abeona’s shape is lifted directly from the artist’s line drawing of Paddington’s railway tracks receding to a vanishing point. The 50ft cast bronze artwork was first imagined in 2017 and fabricated in 2020 against the backdrop of the pandemic. Commissioned by JCDecaux, Abeona was realised in collaboration with fabricator Pangolin Editions, engineers Ramboll and Jenkins Potter and lighting designer Spiers Major.
"Since public transport networks play such an integral role in our daily lives, I found inspiration for Abeona in the proximity to Paddington station. This commission was an opportunity to bring to life the complex infrastructure of rail travel and the pathways or ‘tracks’ that connect us in our work, communities and relationships. As a Londoner, I frequently travel through incredible transport hubs intersecting thousands of lives and journeys. My intention is to reference not only the scale and history of these structures but also to draw attention to the physical human connection which they facilitate." Rona Smith.
Jean-François Decaux, Co-CEO of JCDecaux said “Abeona is an important new London sculpture from Rona Smith that we are proud to commission and bring to the public view in Paddington, the home of JCDecaux UK which has recently undergone a complete development by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Inspired by the goddess of travel and by the architecture of Rail, this thought-provoking sculpture launches as travel returns post-pandemic, and underlines the power of art and design to improve the public realm. As the world’s leading Out-of-Home company, JCDecaux works with stakeholders across the world to improve the cityscape through well-designed media spaces that provide valuable assets for cities and people, in line with JCDecaux’s founding principles to “always, always serve the community”.
The permanent sculpture was unveiled on 27 June 2022.
30.06.22
